


Post ‘First Date’ | “I can’t stand how they’re looking at you.”

by cosmictrap



Series: Tumblr Prompts [2]
Category: New Girl
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post 'First Date', valet cards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 20:16:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13302393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmictrap/pseuds/cosmictrap
Summary: Nick has to deal with the consequences of the date's blowout as he watches other guys hitting on Jess, looking especially good tonight.





	Post ‘First Date’ | “I can’t stand how they’re looking at you.”

**Author's Note:**

  * For [newgirlystuff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/newgirlystuff/gifts).



Jess had told Cece that she’d be right inside and that she needed a few minutes. Nodding in understanding, Cece went into the bar, telling her not to take too long. Now, Jess stood outside the door of the bar, unsure if it would be a good idea to step inside at all. The cold breeze brushing her thighs reminded her of the really short navy blue dress she was wearing. It was low cut and barely just curtained her breasts, leaving enough to the imagination but revealing just enough to actually fuel an accurate image. Cece’s idea, obviously.

_“You need to get back in the field,” said Cece, pushing the dress into Jess’s hand and shooing her into the closet._

She didn’t want to, not really. Her thoughts had been consumed by a certain grumpy roommate. After that disastrous first date and those stupid valet cards, and stupid Russell, Nick and Jess had avoided each other. It was subtle, but she knew what they were doing. She came home from school after being sure that he would’ve left for work and he would be asleep when she woke up. 

Shaking her head, she pushed the bar door open and stepped into the din of the bar.  She sighed as she walked towards the booth Cece was waving at her from, not too far away from the bar, already wishing the earth would swallow her whole because of the unashamed gazes she could feel all over her. 

This was going to be a long night and she needed all the wine she could get. She looked towards the bar, and seeing that Nick wasn’t there, gestured to Cece that she would join her after getting herself a drink. She headed to the bar and greeted Big Bob, who was already heading to the cabinet that shelved the pink wine. 

“What the hell’re you wearing!”

Jumping at Nick’s voice, she turned to see that Nick had emerged from the basement and was back at the bar. His eyes were wide and he was staring at her with a peculiar mixture of awe and annoyance.

_Oh, boy._

“Just… Just something Cece…” mumbled Jess nervously. “It’s Cece’s,” she finished finally.

He nodded at her, still looking at her in that intense way of his, and she wished he would stop looking at her like that because it made her feel things that he _clearly_ didn’t want to talk about.  Without taking his eyes off her, he slid the glass of pink wine Bob handed over to him across the bar. 

“Drink for the lady on me,” said a voice next to her, making her jump.  

A guy had appeared out of nowhere and was now standing next to Jess, leaning against the bar. His hair was unruly and wild and he reeked of a cologne that Jess was sure would give her a headache if exposed to for more than five minutes.

Before she could politely refuse, Nick interjected. “It’s already paid for, buddy,” he said smoothly.

The guy’s eyes rolled down her body slowly, lingering near her chest before tearing his eyes away and shaking his head pitifully. “Too bad,” he said. “I would’ve loved to take you home.”

Smiling uncomfortably, Jess turned to look at Nick quizzically. “Who paid?”

Looking slightly embarrassed, Nick shrugged. “I did.”

“Nick!” she said, realizing what Nick had done.

“What, he was a sleazebag,” he said, shrugging.

Jess narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing. She took her drink off the bar counter and shook her head at him before heading towards the booth where Cece was sitting. As Nick watched her go, he noted with annoyance the number of heads turning to gape at her, the lust clear in the drunken eyes of most of these men. It made him angrier when someone whistled at her as she passed and she uncomfortably ducked her head, hurrying faster towards the booth. It felt so wrong to see such dirty, lust-filled eyes follow the innocently optimistic woman he lived with. 

From where he stood, he could see Jess’s growing discomfort as two men joined her and Cece in the booth. The taller of the two, hair perfectly gelled and dressed in a leather jacket and jeans, had put his arm around Jess’s shoulder as he laughed at something Cece said. Immediately, Jess downed her glass of pink wine and stood up, obviously for a refill. 

She came to a stop near the bar with a sigh, and quietly put her glass on the bartop. Wordlessly, Nick reached for the Sancerre and refilled her glass. 

“Got any numbers yet?” he asked, as he started to cap the bottle, immediately regretting the question.

“No,” she muttered and grabbed her drink and started to head towards the bar when before he could resist, Nick called out, “You might want to wear a jacket.”

She turned around, confusion etched on her face, sipping her wine. “What, why?”

“I can’t stand how they’re looking at you,” he said softly. 

He heard her sharp intake of breath and looked up to see that she was leaning across the counter towards him, wide-eyed. “Why do you care?”

Silence.

“Nick…” she pled. “Just tell me.”

Silence.

Sighing, she drew back and tipped the pink wine in her mouth. She set an empty glass on the bartop with a loud thud, and looking at him sadly, she stumbled towards the ladies’ room. As Nick watched her retreating back, he saw two guys stand up as she passed them. Quickly, Nick stepped out from behind the bar and hurried after her, overtaking the two men. He stood outside the ladies’ washroom, waiting for her to step out. 

The door clicked open and Jess stepped out, eyes on the floor. She closed the door behind her and looked up with surprised eyes, clearly taken aback to see him there. He noted that her eyes were slightly bloodshot and he wondered if he was imagining the tear tracks on her cheeks.

“What’re you doing here?” she asked, hurriedly dabbing a crumpled tissue against her cheeks.

“Some guys were about to follow, so I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said, hand rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away sheepishly.

“Nick, you don’t have to look out for me,” she said slowly, looking down. “It’s not like you’re my boyfriend or anything,” she chuckled nervously.

“I’m well aware of that,” he muttered.

She looked up at him, eyes searching his face, pleading him to say what he stubbornly refused to. Looking away, she started to walk away when Nick spoke. “Pepperwood would be lost without Night.“

“What?” she asked, sniffling, turning to look at him. 

“That’s what I wrote on the valet card,” he said, taking a step towards her. “I would be, Jess. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t around.”

“You said that Jessica Night wasn’t me,” she said, the hints of a smile tugging at her lips.

“I-I obviously lied about that,” he said sheepishly. “And remember when I’d said that you need me too much?”

Jess gave him a watery smile. “How could I forget, that was one wild night.”

“I lied then too. I came back because I needed you more,” he said, reaching forward and cupping her cheek with one hand, gently caressing her with his thumb as her smile grew wider.

“He’s the damned fairytale,” Jess chuckled. “That’s what I wrote. I underlined the ‘he’ as well, you know, for emphasis? Because it wasn’t just the kiss, _you’re_ -”

He leaned down and kissed her, mirroring the fairytale that they’d both grown to live and love. Her arms circled his neck as she pulled him closer to her, as every fear and insecurity they both had felt flew out of their minds. They kissed till they were both breathless, and they left each others’ lips, breathing heavily. She kissed him again, soft and short, before he drew her into a tight hug, burying his face in her neck. 

“Take me home, Miller,” she whispered.

* * *

**[_Send me a prompt from this list_](https://cosmictrap.tumblr.com/post/169135079998/prompt-list-1) or from [ _this one for fluff_](https://cosmictrap.tumblr.com/post/169411829888/beabeyonce-shippy-ishfluff-ish-starters-i) or any other prompt you’d like to see written, [ _here_](https://cosmictrap.tumblr.com/ask)**

**Author's Note:**

> Phew. The setting had been a real debate between ‘Post-Mars Landing’ and ‘Post-First Date’.


End file.
